ingwe; Top of the morning to you sir, hopefully you folks are as prepared for Christmas as you'd hoped to be and all else is acceptably well at your house.
Once upon a time we used to get a custom combine crew from South Dakota come up and harvest for us - this would be '82 or '83 I'd think - before both of our governments decided that sort of entrepreneurship was bad.....
Anyway these boys would start every fall at Ogallala, NB with a half dozen Massey 760's and work their way north until they hit us which was about the end of season for them as I recall.
Back then the big grain elevator companies along with the fuel suppliers used to give out promo toques by the handful, so we'd always have a good stock of green Cargill or black and red Esso ones stashed in the office. They all came with at least a tennis ball sized tassel on the top too back then.
One particularly frigid night we were finishing up and the South Dakota folks were not enjoying our temperatures much at all, so I suggested that I could go back to the office and supply each of them with a toque - which brought 6 of the blankest stares I'd seen in some time.
I asked the boss Mark just what they called a knitted woolen head covering and he replied - "watch cap or wool cap" Then he added, "As hungry as I am right now Dwayne, if you brought us a half dozen toques I'd likely try to eat them!"
Being the curious sort I asked Mark what they'd call the headgear I always wore then and he replied "ball cap or trucker cap"
They all got a good chuckle when I asked, "So then John Wayne wears a cowboy cap then?"
Anyway ingwe you might be sad to know that the tassel top is getting more rare up here these days and the regular plain top watch cap style is the most commonly seen in our part of BC anyway.
You folks do have some interesting things that aren't common up here however and they do catch the traveling Canuck by surprise.
There was the time I was having breakfast in one of the Dakotas and was asked if I wanted chips with the bacon and eggs. Being a Canuck and mistakenly equating "chips = fries" I said yes please.
Of course I got potato chips with my bacon and eggs - which while confusing my stomach somewhat wasn't half bad....
Then there's the whole sausage gravy on biscuits some of you folks do at every meal.
Here's a fashion trend on the west coast...little too metrosexual for me...
sse; Good morning to you sir, hopefully you folks are well and warm enough.
I'm with you on some of the styles we see young men wearing out here. The baggy toque along with skinny jeans and pink Converse on a guy still gives me pause.
That being said, there's few enough of us who wear cowboy hats, boots and jeans hereabouts that when I don't wear my hat the folks in the grocery store question where the hat went.
Our eldest daughter is a collector/wearer of toques year round, but then she's a she and that wasn't what we were talking about.
Anyway sir, regardless of your current choice of headwear, Merry Christmas to you all.
Good foggy morning Dwayne, I hope all is well in beautiful B.C.?
Food wise, the gravy, or mayonnaise on French fries throws a lot of Yanks.
I don't mind a tassel, but they fit poorly under a helmet.
wabigoon; We're doing well so far thanks sir, though its too warm for the ski hill operators I suppose as we're getting our precipitation in the form of rain lately.
You folks don't do gravy on fries? Somehow I didn't know that....
Mayonnaise is an abomination suitable for food applications only to make potato salad in my view - but as you know I'm in a minority in that regard.
Some folks will put it on good steak up here for heaven's sake and no, there is utterly no help for that ailment.
I've converted to flat top toques these days mostly because they fit folded into a jacket pocket easier and since my natural head insulation has long since exited, I need all the artificial block heaters I can get.
Every fall and winter coat I own has a toque tucked into a pocket and spares are stuffed into the consoles of vehicles too.
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours my friend.
When traveling in Canada I sometimes feel like capt. Kirk of the starship Enterprise, lost in a parallel universe.
Everything is familiar, but out if wack. Just when I start feeling comfortable something comes out of left field and throws me off course and I have to get on coms to engineering and see if Mr. Scott has been messing with the dilithium crystals again.
Never the less, always an enjoyable experience.
Last edited by SBTCO; 12/21/14.
“Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them.” ― G. Orwell
"Why can't men kill big game with the same cartridges women and kids use?" _Eileen Clarke
"Unjust authority confers no obligation of obedience." - Alexander Hamilton
I get a kick out of Canucks...in the middle of nowhere, buckled up and driving 55 kliks per hour
They are a comical people though.
ingwe; Just a quick point of order sir - surely you mean we're doing 80km/per hour?
If the converter is correct then 55km/hr is only 34 mph and honestly we travel faster than that in town for the most part - except school zones of course.
Most towns up here the speed limit is 50km/hr = 31 mph unless you're in a downtown that has a lot of walking area which might be 30km/hr = 19 mph.
On the not altogether decided but most probably plus side of the equation - I'm heartened to read you find us comical.
I must admit I don't always find my fellow countrymen all that amusing in the least.....
We go fishing yearly in Canada...because thats what our fathers and grandfather did. Our Grandfather started the tradition by popping open nothing other than Labatt 50s when the family got together!!!
We still do it!
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
Most of those things are regional in origin. Like pop versus soda in the US.
Canada began losing its identity at a fast pace in the 1960s. The most telling proof is that Canadians have to keep repeating over and over that they are not the same as Americans. The harder Canadians try to remain different, the quicker they are absorbed by the US
It hasn�t been the same since cable television and satellite broadcasting came to Canada. The world started getting smaller. It was triggered in the late 1950s down south; a fire was lit that brought the telecommunications age to the fore. It really accelerated with the commencement of the The Space Race. The US had every intention of beating the Russians. NASA needed solid state transistors, truly functional computers and Tang breakfast drink. Life on this rock would never be the same.
Most Canadians had been watching the Vietnam War for a few years, but 1968 was a game changer. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were killed. Woman's Lib and the gay rights movement were charging ahead. Blacks no longer had to sit in the back of the bus. Canadians took notice, and they were scared.
In Canada in 1968, the CRTC was born, in order to protect us from losing our cultural identity. 40 percent of all movies, TV shows and music played on the radio had to Canadian made. Yuck! It was a sad time for music lovers in the Great White North.
Quebecers were afraid of losing their language and for a time, became more militant. They were merely copying what had been happening in the US for years, but the October Crisis in 1970 shook up the country. Before that, we just were what we were. It seemed that the American folk singer Bob Dylan was right - the times, they were a changin'.
Once upon a time, we made television shows for people to watch. We didn�t care who tuned in. In the late 1960s however, we tried to make television shows the Americans would watch. We had to make them with no reference to their Canadian origins, lest the US audiences discover they were made north of the border. Was there anything north of Buffalo? US weather maps showed a big empty white area above the border...
The numbers of Canadian musicians, television and theatrical performers heading south increased dramatically. There was more money and recognition there. The climate was better, as were working conditions. Actors like Raymond Burr, Lorne Green, Tommy Chong, Hume Cronyn, William Shatner and hundreds of others left for greener pastures.
We started importing more clothing, hardware, movies and music from the US. We brought fewer European goods. The trade agreements had not changed; we just wanted to be like our big brothers to the south. Inexorably, Canadian children began to take on the speech patterns and mannerisms of their southern neighbours.
Sesame Street. PBS. Disneyland. TV aerials became antennas. God Save the Queen was no longer sung in schools (or the Lord�s Prayer recited for that matter).
The language changed. It's easily noticed these days. Our old fashioned Oxford Concise references � colour, neighbour, odour, etc � had given way to the US spellings. Words that could be verbs or nouns used to be differentiated by slighting spelling changes. Not anymore.
�I practised the clarinet at music practice today.� became, �I practiced the clarinet at music practice today.� Can you see the difference? Do you even care?
Tommy Hunter, Don Messer and the Friendly Giant were replaced by Nashville and Jim Henson.
Kokanee and Labatt�s Blue have been displaced by Coors Light and Budweiser. Molson Breweries and Coors are allegedly equal partners, but I think we all know who�s the boss.
Few Canadians know exactly what the Junos, Geminis or the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television awards are, or why they are given out. But every Canadian knows about the Grammys and the Oscars.
Trousers have become pants. Blazers became suit jackets. Running shoes have become sneakers. Almost every hamburger served in Canada comes with mayonnaise now. Saskatchewan born Gordie Howe will die in Texas.
The world has changed. It has gotten smaller. I am not angry or dissatisfied with the shift. I only point them out. As the world ages, as the Internets, satellites and technology advance, all the planet�s differences will continue to shrink.
Now comes the interesting part - the defence. Canadians younger than forty-five will try to defend their �unique� heritage; their inherent differences, if you will.
Those older than forty-five will pause to consider how much has changed since they were young. They will realize the monumental transformation that has occurred over the last forty years. As hard as it will be for most to admit, Canadians are fast becoming Americans.
Then there's the whole sausage gravy on biscuits some of you folks do at every meal. wink laugh
I would think that would be a staple everywhere it is cold. Or hot! miles
milespatton; Good morning to you sir, hopefully this finds you well.
I can still recall when our girls were quite young and we were staying in a hotel in Spokane that included a breakfast buffet.
One of our daughters slid up beside me and asked, "Do you know what that grey stuff that looks like bad porridge but doesn't smell like it is?"
Honestly I don't mind good sausage gravy, but some of course it's the bad stuff that is a wee bit off putting.
Merry Christmas to you folks Miles.
Dwayne
Too funny Dwayne. My wife and I stopped in a hotel in southern Washington and in the morning went to have some of breakfast offered. I had stated to my wife that I wanted some oatmeal porridge, wifes say its over there in that cooker. Dipped the spoon in and said to myself, that is not porridge and I am not sure what it is, gave it a pass.
Do any Canadians use vinegar on their fries anymore? When I first started spending time in Montana's "sister province" of Alberta 40+ years ago, vinegar was standard, but haven't seen it as much in recent years. Always liked sitting around on a Chesterfield while watching TV and eating fries with vinegar.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Most of those things are regional in origin. Like pop versus soda in the US.
Canada began losing its identity at a fast pace in the 1960s. The most telling proof is the observation that Canadians have to keep repeating over and over that they are not the same as Americans. The harder Canadians try to remain different, the quicker they are absorbed by the US
It hasn�t been the same since cable television and satellite broadcasting came to Canada. The world started getting smaller. It was triggered in the late 1950s down south; a fire was lit that brought the telecommunications age to the fore. It really accelerated with the commencement of the The Space Race. The US had every intention of beating the Russians. NASA needed solid state transistors, truly functional computers and Tang breakfast drink. Life on this rock would never be the same.
Most Canadians had been watching the Vietnam War for a few years, but 1968 was a game changer. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were killed. Woman's Lib and the gay rights movement were charging ahead. Blacks no longer had to sit in the back of the bus. Canadians took notice, and they were a bit scared.
In Canada in 1968, the CRTC was born, in order to protect us from losing our cultural identity. 40 percent of all movies, TV shows and music played on the radio had to Canadian made. Yuck! It was a sad time for music lovers in the Great White North.
Quebecers were afraid of losing their language and for a time, became more militant. They were merely copying what had been happening in the US for years, but the October Crisis in 1970 shook up the country. Before that, we just were what we were. It seemed that the American folk singer Bob Dylan was right - the times, they were a changin'.
Once upon a time, we made television shows for people to watch. We didn�t care who tuned in. In the late 1960s however, we tried to make television shows the Americans would watch. We had to make them with no reference to their Canadian origins, lest the US audiences discover they were made north of the border. Was there anything north of Buffalo? US weather maps showed a big empty white area above the border...
The numbers of Canadian musicians, television and theatrical performers heading south increased dramatically. There was more money and recognition there. The climate was better, as were working conditions. Actors like Raymond Burr, Lorne Green, Tommy Chong, Hume Cronyn, William Shatner and hundreds of others had left for greener pastures.
We started importing more clothing, hardware, movies and music from the US. We brought fewer European goods. The trade agreements had not changed; we just wanted to be like our big brothers to the south. Inexorably, Canadian children began to take on the speech patterns and mannerisms of their southern neighbours.
Sesame Street. PBS. Disneyland. TV aerials became antennas. God Save the Queen was no longer sung in schools (or the Lord�s Prayer recited for that matter).
The language changed. It's easily noticed these days. Our old fashioned Oxford Concise references � colour, neighbour, odour, etc � had given way to the US spellings. Words that could be verbs or nouns used to be differentiated by slighting spelling changes. Not anymore.
�I practised the clarinet at music practice today.� became, �I practiced the clarinet at music practice today.� Can you see the difference? Do you even care?
Tommy Hunter, Don Messer and the Friendly Giant were replaced by Nashville and Jim Henson.
Kokanee and Labatt�s Blue have been displaced by Coors Light and Budweiser. Molson Breweries and Coors are allegedly equal partners, but I think we all know who�s the boss.
Few Canadians know exactly what the Junos, Geminis or the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television awards are, or why they are given out. But every Canadian knows about the Grammys and the Oscars.
Trousers have become pants. Blazers became suit jackets. Running shoes have become sneakers. Almost every hamburger served in Canada comes with mayonnaise now. Saskatchewan born Gordie Howe will die in Texas.
The world has changed. It has gotten smaller. I am not angry or dissatisfied with the shift. I only point them out. As the world ages, as the Internets, satellites and technology advance, all the planet�s differences will continue to shrink.
Now comes the interesting part - the defence. Canadians younger than forty-five will try to defend their �unique� heritage; their inherent differences, if you will.
Those older than forty-five will take pause to consider how much has changed since they were young. They will realize the monumental transformation that has occurred over the last forty years. As hard as it will be for most to admit, Canadians are fast becoming Americans.
With every breath, the distinctions fade.
Don't know if this is a cut and paste, or what, but I will tell you categorically in spite of alleged assimilation, Americans who interact with Canadians know fairly quickly the differences in the two cultures. Don't know why Canadians would not do the same. They must realize some differences, otherwise there would not be a high rate of emigration.
It is not cut and paste. They are observations of a lifetime. As well, I did not say that Canadians have been assimilated. My exact words were, "With every breath, the distinctions fade." I notice differences when I visit California, but they aren't great, just regional.
There will always be some differences. Much the same as people from the state of Washington find New Yorkers or Tennesseans different. Ask an Alaskan what he thinks about New York state. But the differences aren't as great as they once were.
Do any Canadians use vinegar on their fries anymore? When I first started spending time in Montana's "sister province" of Alberta 40+ years ago, vinegar was standard, but haven't seen it as much in recent years. Always liked sitting around on a Chesterfield while watching TV and eating fries with vinegar.
Some do, some don't. Its mainstream enough that McDonalds and other originally American fast food places have vinegar in packs alongside the ketchup. My kids use it, so its likely to be around for another generation. I always thought it was a British thing.
I haven't heard anyone say chesterfield in a long time. My mother used to when she was still alive.
Life begins at 40. Recoil begins at "Over 40" Coincidence? I don't think so.
Chesterfield was still pretty common in Alberta when I first spent some time there in 1969. Guess that dates me too!
I hunt in Alberta every couple-three years, but don't eat much at McDonald's or other fast-food places when I do. On one of my recent trips stopped at a restaurant in a small town not too far south of Edmonton. Maybe the waitress had me pegged as American, but I had to ask for vinegar for my fries.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Dwayne, I agree, Mayo is an evil substance best reserved for potato salad.
Mule Deer, vinegar is also evil and is best used as a cleaning agent (although my wife loves it on fries).
I was down in LA a few weeks ago and weeks introduced to homemade salsa on eggs, apparently this is common and not too bad... They were shocked to learn I had never had that combination before.
Gentlemen, the differences between the two best countries in the world are not worth spitting over (although amusing at times - huh).
Do any Canadians use vinegar on their fries anymore? When I first started spending time in Montana's "sister province" of Alberta 40+ years ago, vinegar was standard, but haven't seen it as much in recent years. Always liked sitting around on a Chesterfield while watching TV and eating fries with vinegar.
Mule Deer; Good evening to you John, I hope this finds you and Eileen doing well this night before, the night before Christmas.
If you're traveling through a city up here and stop at a farmer's market or food truck that serves fries then more often than not they'll have both malt and white vinegar as well as ketchup.
One sees mostly ketchup in the fast food places anymore up in our part of BC though - but their fries pale in comparison to good fry truck fries.
Funny that my parents used to call it a chesterfield, but somehow we don't anymore.
ingwe; Good evening to you my cyber friend and while I'm loathe to say our ketchup is "better" I will say our family has noticed a difference for sure and we prefer the Canadian version.
I'd say it's maybe a tad thicker, but the taste of ours is "sharper" for lack of a better term?
That said, I prefer US made Coke - for the same reason - a sharper, less bland flavor than ours.
Taste is always such a tough thing for me to pin down - I'd suggest someone like Eileen Clarke would be able to articulate better why things taste differently - I can only say what I like better.
Then too, as I age I'm finding even that is a moving target as the girls say I put more pepper into my cooking now than previously.
I was down in LA a few weeks ago and weeks introduced to homemade salsa on eggs, apparently this is common and not too bad... They were shocked to learn I had never had that combination before.
Little differences between countries is half the fun of travelling. A friend and I were hunting down in Argentina, and stopped at a restaurant for breakfast in Buenos Aires. We were just sort of wandering about on foot and picked the place because the menu in the window had a section in English. An omelet should be a safe bet so we ordered that. A woman customer who could speak English approached us to point out that eating an omelet in the morning was outlandish and unheard of. Apparently it was on the supper menu, and the staff just prepared it to humor the crazy tourists.'course this is the same country that puts hard boiled eggs on a pizza. That's evil.
Salsa on eggs is quite good, my exposure to it was through Mexican omelets, that probably aren't served in Mexico but are fairly popular in Canada.
Last edited by Model70Guy; 12/24/14.
Life begins at 40. Recoil begins at "Over 40" Coincidence? I don't think so.
Thanks very much for your cultural observations. I have yet to eat any fries in a fast-food place in Canada, but as noted in another post did have to ask for vinegar in a little restaurant in northern Alberta, probably because I was obviously a Yank.
We're doing very well here this Christmas eve, with snow predicted today and tomorrow, common on these two days in this part of Montana. Hope you have an excellent white Christmas too!
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
I also enjoy the differences while traveling to other countries, but some of my companions have not been so adventurous. In fact, I have hunted a few times with a guy who eats a cheeseburger and fries for lunch every day in the U.S., and always has withdrawal symptoms in other countries. Once we were in a hunting camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta, back when hunting was still allowed there, and he insisted the camp staff make cheeseburgers and fries for one meal. They tried, but having never done it before, neither came out the way he expected, and of course he whined. Personally, I was quite happy with the menu they chose to prepare!
A restaurant in Maun, however, did do an acceptable job on a cheeseburger and fries, at least by his standards.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
When I lived in Canada I found Canadian beers to be excellent. I also found the meat, eggs, and poultry to be pretty bland. Probably from a lack of corn finishing. I also found CA to have some excellent cheeses.
Have really enjoyed this thread. I traveled in ON and PQ a lot driving a semi, but was always on the run and never got to enjoy my time there. However did go to Sudbury once and would like to go back to do the tourist thing, beautiful place. Always thought the Canadians seemed a little nicer, but that could be because I expected them to be. Well at least in Ontario.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
[quote=Mule Deer]Do any Canadians use vinegar on their fries anymore? When I first started spending time in Montana's "sister province" of Alberta 40+ years ago, vinegar was standard, but haven't seen it as much in recent years. Always liked sitting around on a Chesterfield while watching TV and eating fries with vinegar/
John It must be malt vinegar and it goes on chips not fries. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Cheers NC
don't judge until you have walked a mile in other persons' moccasins' SUM QUOD SUM........HOMINEM TE ESSE MEMENTO
Malt vinegar for fries is available at Five Guys stores in NC locations but not anywhere else locally. Not our thing and I don't know where those guys come from. White and/or cider vinegar goes on greens around here. Mayonnaise on a beef hamburger? You must be kidding.
Do any Canadians use vinegar on their fries anymore? When I first started spending time in Montana's "sister province" of Alberta 40+ years ago, vinegar was standard, but haven't seen it as much in recent years. Always liked sitting around on a Chesterfield while watching TV and eating fries with vinegar.
I grew up in Ontario where vinegar on fries was the std. Down here in the Maritimes, it's gravy on fries. You want vinegar here, you have to ask for it. Never did like gravy on fries even after living here 30yrs.
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